Let's try replacing “White Privilege” with with this term

The term "white privilege" continues to be a lightning rod. A while back, I wrote an article about how the term had been weaponised and suggested it might be time to ditch it. A few years on, we are still having the same conversations. Recently, I listened to two people who often speak eloquently on issues of race – celebrated South African comedian and host Travor Noah and Femi Oluwole, a British political activist, journalist and co-founder of the pro-European Union advocacy group Our Future Our Choice – go out of their way to placate their respective interlocutors from the discomfort of being “accused” of white privilege when they didn’t feel “privileged”, especially relative to those two black men.

On his podcast, Trevor decried what he regarded as the term’s lack of nuance and its need for it. Femi had to take a detour to acknowledge his male privilege and the privilege of having attended private school. Both were addressing what now seems like the age-old challenge from certain white people who question the idea of “privilege” given their position in society. That speaks to the continued misinterpretation of the term – intentional or not – that persists. Some people still fixate on the literal meaning of “privilege” in terms of material conditions. No matter how many specialists, scholars, and commentators have explained that the term is NOT literal, the challenge appears to persist. And yet white privilege has never been so prevalent and blatantly on display as it has been during this Trump era. The phenomenon clearly persists, and society must do more than just name it and have unnecessary debates about whether it even exists. I believe it’s time to start testing out alternatives.

It's ok to acknowledge different types of privilege and to be clear and careful about how we use the term, to prevent conflation. I explained the history and meaning of the term in my article (you can read it here), so I will not go over those points. What I want is the idea of moving on from the term. Why? Because the term is emotive and often evokes unnecessary challenges and tangents, it distracts from addressing the issue of white privilege, which exists because others lack the same privilege.

Just to recap, the word privilege in the term does not refer to economic or material endowment. Rather, it refers to the absence of barriers because of one’s skin. To recap, what privilege is not what people have, but what they don’t have or experience. It’s the absence of many obstacles that are placed in front of those who are not white. For example, Eckoes, on her SIHAPW Instagram account, suggests that white privilege is:

• " I'm not abused in the street, at a football match etc

• Security don't follow me around shops

• I never fear people of my race can't get into a club or space - nor that will be mistreated once inside.

• My employer didn't dismiss my CV based on my surname

• The police never stop me or think I'm a drug dealer (even if I take drugs)

• I don't have to shatter something sacred in my children when I explain racism to them.

• I'm not threatening or suspicious at all times

• I won't get spat on for the colour of my skin

• I'm not fetishised

• I don't need to research how racist countries are before I book a holiday - I just click and fly

• No one at work suspects I got my job because of my race

• I'm treated as an individual

• I don't think twice about eating a banana in public

• I can assume, unless I actively do something bad to a stranger, they have no reason to, if not be kind to me, at least be neutral.

• I am assumed smart and capable

• I see my culture as the main global culture. Any deviation from my culture is niche.

• I don't even know anything about other cultures because to be intelligent is to know white things

• Keeping my kids safe doesn't include from the police from their teachers, from when Karen calls the manager

• My hair is professional, and the default

• Whenever I speak publicly I'm not an ambassador for my entire race

• I'm given benefit of doubt

• No one questions if I belong where I was born. I can trace my ancestry back

• I can be violent, angry, loud, illiterate, a rapist and murderer even. But nothing negative I do is ever attributed to my race

• I feel welcome anywhere

• and on and on and on "

Those are just examples of what the term means in reality. It’s clear the term isn't about material wealth. Given that’s what’s meant by the term, what other phrase could we use to describe white privilege?

I have one suggestion. It borrows from the idea of a hall pass or just a pass – something that endows you with access to certain places. How about we try the term “white pass” instead of “white privilege”? I have not thought this through just yet, nor have I worked out the long list of pros and cons. Perhaps we can do this collectively? What I know is that the word “pass” carries the same potential for confusion, conflation, and challenge as the term “privilege”. This is me thinking out loud. I would like to hear from you. What do you make of the term “White Pass”?

I will return to this topic soon after I have spoken with other experts, scholars, and thinkers who are better qualified than I am. But I think most of us would agree that we should at least consider retiring and archiving the term “white privilege” and replace it with one that allows us to talk about the issue without constantly having to address the usual distraction and questioning by or on behalf of white people who don’t feel privileged.

I would love to hear your experiences, thoughts, and ideas.